Soldiers remove ribbons from Colchester green, signifying return

Nine local servicemen and women got a welcome home Saturday morning that none of them is ever likely to forget.

Ryan Blessing

Nine local servicemen and women got a welcome home Saturday morning that none of them is ever likely to forget.

Flanked by their families and friends, town and state officials, local veterans and the Patriot Guard Riders motorcycle group, Connecticut Army National Guard members gathered at Colchester’s veterans green to mark their return home.

And in Colchester, coming home means removing a yellow ribbon with your name on it from a large oak tree on the green, in the center of town.

The practice started last year, when several local National Guard members were deployed overseas. A ribbon was put on the tree for each guard member who was leaving.

Nine ribbons came down Saturday, but eight remain on the tree.

“It definitely feels good to be back,” Spc. Brandon Howes, of the 143rd Military Police Unit, said. Howes was in Afghanistan for eight months, returning several weeks ago. He’s a full-time student at Southern Connecticut State University. He’s also been in the guard for four years.

“It helped pay for school, and I also wanted to serve my country and do my part,” he said.

The young man’s presence at Saturday’s ceremony was a surprise to his aunt, Holly Hartley. The Colchester woman was all smiles as she gave her nephew a big hug before the ceremony started.

This isn’t the first time Hartley has seen a family member serve overseas.

“My son, Jason, was one of the first from Colchester to go to Iraq in 2003,” she said.

Sgt. Andrew Duhamel, 24, just recently met his 13-week-old son, Landon. Duhamel attended with Landon and with his wife, Brittany.

“It was hard to be away,” he said. “Now I’m happy I can be here with them.”

Each service member also received a welcome home gift package, as well as a proclamation from the Connecticut General Assembly, given out by state Reps. Linda Orange, D-Colchester, and Melissa Ziobron, R-East Haddam, and State Sen. Art Linares, R-Westbrook, whose districts include Colchester.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., presented each with a letter from the Senate.
Sean O’Leary was there to officially welcome back his son, Matt, from his deployment to Afghanistan.

“I’m really impressed by the Patriot Riders,” O’Leary said, referring to the group that came Saturday morning to bear flags for the ceremony. “They told me they’re honored to be a part of this.”

Daniel Henderson, a Colchester veteran who recently returned from Afghanistan, was proud of how the community rallies around its servicemen and women.

“As veterans, we’re very lucky to have the support of a grateful community,” Henderson, commander of the local American Legion, said. He also urged the new veterans to become involved in service at the local level.

“You need to stand up and be a role model for the next generation of soldiers and sailors and airmen,” he said.